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WHAT WILL WE EXPLORE: Research and Policy context regarding wellbeing and learning Activities to engage in conversation regarding wellbeing and learning Examining the question of measurement & wellbeing…. What are you currently doing? What is your focus? Consider next steps for your school community and more broadly regarding measurement & wellbeing

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WHY A FOCUS ON WELLBEING? Dignity of human person Duty of care We are monitoring, assessing, observing all the time …now new understandings ….

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Over recent decades, there has been a shift from seeing student wellbeing as separate from learning and teaching to it being understood as integral to learning and teaching, along with other important elements such as leadership, curriculum development and school organisation and school community partnerships. Indeed school improvement efforts and research now routinely reflect this understanding (Fullan, 2006; Senge, 2000; West- Burnham, Farrar, and Otero, 2007).

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Wellbeing & Learning In a rapidly changing world the nature of learning and the place of school communities in helping children and young people to flourish should be a high priority. Educators have moved a long way from the days when student health, welfare and wellbeing were seen as discrete entities separate from learning and teaching

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In Australia, Ministers of Education of all governments affirmed this in policy directions for the 21 st century in the Melbourne Declaration on the Educational Goals of Young Australians: Education equips young people with the knowledge, understanding, skills and values to take advantage of opportunity and to face the challenges of this era with confidence. Schools play a vital role in promoting the intellectual, physical, social, emotional, moral, spiritual and aesthetic development and wellbeing of young Australians, and in ensuring the nation’s ongoing economic prosperity and social cohesion (MCEETYA, 2008, p. 4).

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EMPHASIS IN MEASUREMENT Major rigour around measuring teaching & Learning We have shifted in our understanding of wellbeing & links to learning Sometimes we make assumptions or measure certain aspects of wellbeing and not others

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For young people to flourish and learn systems need to not only identify the key elements of school improvement but to develop processes that enable the integration of these. Along with the importance of leadership and quality learning and teaching there has been increasing international recognition of the importance of a focus on the promotion of student wellbeing and, more recently, school community partnerships as central (Fullan, 2006; Bryk, Bender Sebring, Allensworth, Luppescu and Easton, 2010).

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So… Measuring what? Are we wanting to measure wellbeing OR Measure the way in which we can impact on wellbeing to promote learning? If the way students feelings ( emotions etc – from home/school) impact on their behaviour –( think about an example in your school) – then this impacts on engagement in learning What we do as teachers and as a school to build relationships, engagement, connection & safety? How do we know that we are improving at building engagement /connection/feelings of safety etc? What are the indicators?

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Frameworks to support schools in this work … KidsMatter Primary is a mental health and wellbeing framework for primary schools and is proven to make a positive difference to the lives of Australian children Contact Us For more information contact : Your local KidsMatter team or the national team KIDSMP

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MINDMATTERS MindMatters is a mental health promotion resource for secondary schools. It is best used as part of a comprehensive whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing, focusing on entire school communities, not just individual students with identified needs. It aims to enhance the development of school environments where young people feel safe, valued, engaged and purposeful.//

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HEALTH PROMOTING SCHOOLS Early work in Health Promoting Schools (HPS) led the now widely accepted understanding that schools are key sites for learning about social relationships and have potential to promote wellbeing through the interrelationships of: Curriculum, teaching and learning School ethos, organisation and environment Partnerships and services (Marshall, Sheehan, Northfield et al, 2000)

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Catholic Education Office Melbourne

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THERE A LINK BETWEEN WELLBEING AND STUDENT LEARNING Re: wellbeing linked to learning What do you currently measure in your school? What are the indicators of success? How do you know that you are improving? Engagement/Connection/safety etc?

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Activity Discuss a wellbeing related goal from your SIP – o What is the goal? o What are the current data sets/indicators you use to measure? o How do you know that there is progress? o How do you know that this is linked to learning?

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SCHOOL PRACTICES ARE KEY It needs to be named It needs to have measures of indicators of success

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DISCUSSION IN SCHOOL GROUPS: DEVELOPING/STRENGTHENING AN ACTION PLAN ALIGNED WITH SIP What are you currently doing to promote wellbeing and learning? What do you need to PLAN for? WHO do you need top excite/engage? What does/will success look like?

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So.. should we have to always go outside for measurements? – or should the data be gathered as part of SIP/ AAPs? What do we measure? re if we are measuring wellbeing… student wellbeing, behaviour, engagement, safe and supportive environment, spiritual …. So We have formative tools egs. NSSF Mindmatters, kidsmatter Is there benefit in system tool/s to be our mirror /provide summative updates

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SO WHAT? What is this work? Where does it fit into the life of learning & teaching? It IS related to your beliefs about education How do you embed this work into school improvement /AOP’s Would it be useful to have some system wide tools( summative) to measure wellbeing & learning growth?

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Which areas are you doing well in? Which ones will need more work? How are you currently measuring wellbeing? What are your ideas /concerns? Reflection: What steps could you take to help your school develop greater clarity regarding measuring wellbeing? Straight away:

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Planning: Next Steps  What are the implications for our ( across all schools) and your work?  What do you want to know more about?  What should you/as a whole groups focus on in the next 12 months?  Key Ideas?  Brainstorm 3-5 key steps to take when you get back to your schools..  Report Back

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WHERE TO FROM TODAY?... What is doable? A personal pledge An action/idea for you to follow up - Capture key ideas – Who/What/When /Where?